Custom Robo Arena

Posted: 04/10/07

The first rule of Custom Robo is…don’t talk about Custom Robo. OK, that’s not really the first rule, but it’s the only way to introduce a Fight Club reference here. Basically, the only rule in Custom Robo is…you have to fight. And that’s pretty much all you’ll do in this action game disguised as an RPG. Over and over and over again…

You’re the new kid on the block in a town where battling custom robos, which are little robotic action figures, is just about the only thing anyone cares about. Your dad creates the things, and your sister helps him. Heck, even your school principle is obsessed with the little buggers.

So of course, the story revolves around your meteoric rise to fame in the world of custom robo. Oh sure, you’ll chat with your school chums, attend class, and trade barbs with your opponents. You’ll even have to sit through unbearable breakfast and dinner conversations with your family to bookend each virtual day. But in the end, it’s all window dressing to the actual fighting of little, customizable robots.

And it’s like that cheap, thin window dressing your Great Auntie Aida uses. It’s ugly, and it just barely gets the job done. The story in Custom Robo is completely forgettable. You’ll spend most of your time skipping through it to ease the pain between each battle.

The story mode is the main section of Custom Robo, and it’s what you’ll use to gather the bits and pieces you’ll need to upgrade your mechanical menace and challenge friends in the real world. So yes, unfortunately, you’ll have to slog through the overly kiddie-friendly banter and mindless travel from point A to point B and back again over the game’s simplistic map. It’s like Pokemon, but less engaging.

But after you do build up a decent arsenal and customize your robo, the game comes complete with two wireless play options. One is a simple, single-card system link, and the other is over a WiFi connection.

The WiFi battles work flawlessly. Finding a random partner doesn’t require any ridiculously long friend code input or anything. And when the battles actually begin, they are lag free and responsive for the most part. Those who really dive into the whole customization thing will find a huge payoff here.

The developers tried to implement some touch-screen functionality, too, but it doesn’t add anything. All you can really do with that stylus is pose your robot for multiplayer splash screens or polish your robot. Which, apparently, affects how it performs.

The battles in Custom Robo play out a lot like a cross between SEGA’s old Virtual On series and From Software’s Armored Core, but for the elementary school set. You and your opponent square off in a small arena riddled with obstacles, and whoever reaches zero health first is the loser.

Before each battle, you get a look at what kind of weapons and armor your enemy will be sporting, and then you have to outfit your fighter accordingly. A gun, a pod weapon, and some sort of explosive projectile all need to be equipped before battle. Each has very specific strengths and weaknesses, usually associated with speed and range. You’ll also need to add equipment to other parts of your Robo, like new leg types that will allow it to jump higher or run faster.

After that, it’s a dash-and-dodge extravaganza as you try to avoid your enemy’s homing weapons while firing off your own. Get in close and you can unleash a dashing physical attack, or move back and hope your long-range weapons are fast enough to catch him unaware.

The battles are fun, if more than a little one-dimensional. They don’t last very long, and usually if you take a few bad hits at the beginning of a match, it’s almost impossible to mount a comeback--especially later in the game.

Considering that Custom Robo is really a kids’ game, the shallow fighting engine can be forgiven in lieu of the massive amount of bits and pieces to collect, and customization that can be performed. The whole thing’s got a real Pokemon vibe to it, just not as cute. Custom Robo isn’t as good as that other Nintendo series, but it ain’t too shabby, either.

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